Monocentris japonica
(Dick Bride-Groom Fish)
Family : Pinecone fishes ; Found in the sublittoral zone[1], under ledges and caves of rocky reefs[2]. Forms schools[3]. Adults are found between 20 and 200 m depth, juveniles occasionally in shallower water[4]. Regularly displayed in public aquaria .
Family Monocentridae
Distribution: tropical and subtropical Indo-Pacific , primarily at depths of 30 - 300 m. Body scales large, heavy and platelike. A single large spine in pelvic fin which can be locked erect ; soft rays 2 or 3; 4-7 strong spines in first dorsal fin alternate from side to side; second dorsal fin with 9-12 soft rays. No anal fin spines, 10-12 softrays. Pectoral fin with 13-15 rays ; 8 branchiostegal rays . Lower jaw with 2 phosphorescent organs . The light is produced by luminescent bacteria and the organ appears as an orange spot in daylight or a blue-green one at night; it is used to attract shrimps and other zooplankton at night. About 22 cm maximum length [5]. Reproduction unknown but assumed to be non-guarders (RF).The family Monocentridae belongs to the Class Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes ) and the Order Beryciformes. It contains 2 genera and 4 species. It may be found in Marine environments and is primarily Marine. Some members of this family are used in the aquarium trade. Reproductively, most members of this family are nonguarders. The main mode of swimming of adult fish in this family is ostraciiform. Etymology of this family name : Greek, monos = only + Greek, kentron = sharp point
Physical Description
Species Monocentris japonica
Pineconefish have round, compressed bodies that are pale to dark yellow in color. Their bodies are covered with large, fixed , armored plates (called scutes ), each of which has a narrow black edge and a small spine in the center. The plates and the coloring together cause the fish to resemble pinecones�hence their common name . A pineconefish�s jaw is black, with a bioluminescent patch on each side at the tip . Each pelvic fin has a single, large spine on its front edge that can be locked erect . The dorsal fin has no membrane but does have spines that point in alternate directions , one to the right and one to the left.
Pineconefish reach a maximum length of 17 cm (6.7 in).
Pineconefish have a light patch on the side near the tip of each lower jaw. This patch appears blue-green at night and orange in the daylight. It contains large concentrations of the bioluminescent bacteria, Vibrio fischeri. These symbiotic bacteria get food from the fish�s bloodstream, and in turn provide the fish with a biochemically produced blue-green light. It is believed that pineconefish use the light to attract prey , confuse predators , and communicate with each other. Little is known about how the light is turned on and off in the Monocentris species of pineconefish, but a related species, Cleidopus gloriamaris (pineapplefish) has been observed to control its light by shutting off the oxygen supply to the bioluminescent bacteria.
Size/Age/Growth
These fish have been known to live more than 10 years in a protected environment..
Habitat
They commonly shelter under ledges and in caves of rocky reefs, at depths of 20-200 m (65-650 ft ). Juvenile pineconefish inhabit shallower water, often no deeper than 3 m (10 ft).
Typically found in water with a depth of 0 to -4,900 meters (0 to -16,076 feet).[6] |
發表於 2009-12-2 23:56
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